Prosecutors from the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang on Monday charged a man with murdering a police officer during a chase in February.

News website VnExpress said a trial will decide if Phan Tan Tai, 19, is going to be convicted of murder and his accomplice Pham Quang Trung, 24, of "fighting with an officer on duty."

Tai and Trung, both construction engineers, were speeding on a motorbike on the night of February 17, when traffic police in Phung Hiep District ordered them to stop.

But Trung instead sped up and Second Lieutenant Tong Phuoc Ngo, 27, pursued him on a motorbike.

Tai who was sitting behind kicked Ngo's handlebars, causing the officer to fall off and hit the sidewalk.

Ngo died on the way to hospital due to severe brain injuries. Tai and Trung were detained a day later at their homes.

According to Vietnam's Penal Code, Tai now faces a wide range of punishments raining from 12 years in jail to the death penalty as he killed a person on public duty, while Trung faces a three year probation or a jail term of between six months and three years.